All posts by Luella Campbell

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…GOD’S GLORY – 10

Bible Study,

Before we move away from these random thoughts, the instruction of Scripture to seek God’s glory fascinates me. What is God’s glory and why is seeking His glory so important to us?

First, what is God’s glory? The Bible, from cover to cover, is full of this expression. 

“The biblical definition of the glory of God is the manifestation of His magnificent and weighty nature, including His splendor, majesty, and divine perfections. It is the visible expression of His power, holiness, and goodness, both in His divine presence and in His creation. Glorifying God means acknowledging His greatness and honoring Him through our actions and lives.” (source: Google…article “What does the glory of God mean in the Bible?”). 

God’s glory has significant implications for His children. Paul’s outburst of praise in Ephesians 1 and Romans 11 direct us to the first important considerations…

In Ephesians 1, Paul reveals the purpose of God’s mercy and grace through Jesus…

“Chosen” and “predestined to adoption as sons”…”to the praise of His glorious grace”. 

“Redemption through his blood”, “chosen to fulfil His plans”…”to the praise of His glory”. 

“Marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”…”to the praise of His glory”. 

Everything God has done for humanity through Jesus is to reveal His glory beyond what we can see in nature, culminating in the glory of His redemptive plan and work through Jesus. We can only know the marvel of His grace through what Jesus did for us on the cross because of our sin. 

In Romans 9-11, Paul explains God’s purpose for His own people,  Israel, their falling away, to open the door of salvation for the Gentiles. He reveals, through His dealings with Israel, His mercy for Jew and Gentile alike through Jesus. 

“For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s glory is also revealed in His plan to save and unite Jew and Gentile into one family through the cross. 

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

With this amazing marvel of God’s grace, Paul concludes with an outburst of praise…

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭33‬-‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In heaven, there is a perpetual scene of worship, revealed to Isaiah in the Old Covenant… 

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and to John on the Island of Patmos, the Holy Spirit revealed…

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!””

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Scripture tells us that everything God says and does in creation

is to reveal His glory through His creation. 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Even if sinful humans refuse to acknowledge God, creation’s voice is never silent…

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This truth has implications for us… 

Since, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism… ”Man’s chief end is to glorify God…”, how important it is to understand what “the glory of God” means so that we can adjust our lives to fulfil His purpose. 

All of natural creation glorifies God by doing what He made it to do. So, too, humans glory God when we do what He made us to do…

“…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…with one important difference. He has given humans the freedom to choose. Nature glorifies God by design. Humans can choose to glorify God or not to glorify God by the way we live.  

One of the most important ways in which we glorify God is through worship. Is there a connection between worship and the glory of God? 

Google’s answer:

“Yes, worship and the glory of God are intrinsically connected; worship is the response to God’s glory, and the purpose of worship is to give God glory. Worship is seen as the exaltation of God’s majesty, power, and holiness, and it is considered a response of reverence and adoration that acknowledges God’s worth.”

Worship is not only the purposeful act of giving God glory in verbal expression. Worship is also the way we conduct our lives that reflects His glory in what we say and do. The most basic of words and behaviour must intentionally reflect Him. 

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, why is God’s glory so important to us?

Again, says Google, in answer to the question …”Why is God’s glory important to humans?”

“God’s glory is important to humans because it provides the ultimate source of truth, joy, and purpose, while revealing his wonder and goodness. By experiencing and reflecting God’s glory, humans can find contentment and security, as it fulfills the inherent desire for something greater than themselves and aligns them with God’s ultimate goal.”

I believe that God’s glory is even more important to us than finding “contentment and security” or “fulfilling the inherent desire for something greater than themselves”. 

People are only “fully human” when we fulfil the purpose for which God created us.  “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. “(Westminster Shorter Catechism). Anything less than that reveals that people are less than human. 

“Fully human” means man as he was created to be before he disobeyed God. He was made in God’s image to be like God, to have fellowship with God, and to live in harmony with God’s will. Only in this state can man enjoy God forever. 

Therefore, the more we align our lives with the nature of God and do the will of God, the more we will glorify God. The more we glorify God, the more we will experience the environment of heaven…the love, joy, and peace that produce the wellbeing of being “fully alive”, as Irenaeus stated…”The glory of God is man fully alive “

“St. Irenaeus famously said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” To be fully alive is not merely to exist but to thrive in the freedom Christ purchased for us through His sacrifice. It means stepping out of the shadows of sin, fear, and inadequacy into a life marked by joy, purpose, and communion with God.” (source: Google)

So, God’s glory is the reason for creation and the purpose of all creation. Only when we choose to live in harmony with God’s purpose will we, by glorifying God, experience the fullness of being human.

Perhaps, Habakkuk’s declaration should be the zenith of all our thoughts and prayers and our passion…

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…RETALIATION -9

Bible Study, ,

In an earlier study, we explored the meaning of Jesus’ suffering. Let me recap.

Jesus was made like us. 

He was born with the nature of the first Adam, before he fell, that is, able to sin and able not to sin. Jesus is called “the last Adam”. 

“For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way…

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬a NIV‬‬

Jesus suffered being tempted. 

To give in to temptation, that is, to act on His own instead of out of obedience to the Father, would have meant death…for Him and the human race. 

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus was tempted “in the flesh”, that is in His human nature. He was tempted to react to the way others treated Him by retaliating in some way, out of His emotions, out of insecurity, or in defence. However, Jesus never reacted to persecution by reflecting the words or actions back on those who insulted or abused Him. 

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body (His “flesh”, that is, in His human nature), arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus always chose to absorb the mistreatment by entrusting Himself to the Father’s justice. His defence was truth, not emotion. He used the Word of God to silence His accusers. 

Jesus taught His disciples how to deal with persecution. 

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ NIV

His strategy to handle persecution was twofold. 

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. He refrained from reacting. 
  2. He trusted the Father to vindicate Him. 

The Apostle Paul learned this lesson through hardship and persecution…he prayed for deliverance but God  said, “No!” 

“…Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me (the temptation to retaliate). Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul turned hardship and persecution into celebration because thanksgiving in his suffering submitted ti the discipline, killed the desire to retaliate, and gave him power over his weakness. 

Now let’s apply these principles to our lives when we are tempted to react out if our fleshly nature to any kind of suffering, hardship, or persecution. . 

Since our sinful human nature always wants to reacts to any kind of suffering especially criticism or abuse, we will interpret such behaviour as rejection.  Our first natural reaction to rejection will be some form of retaliation. We will resort to self-defence or counter accusation to deflect the offence away from our injured “ego”. 

We can either compound the sin of our accuser by our own sinful counter-reactions or we can choose not to retaliate by absorbing the insults, accusations, criticism, without reaction. 

This way of non-retaliation depends on the way we view ourselves in the light of what God says about us. If we are secure in the love of God, we will not be moved by the opinions of others. If we depend on ourselves for self- preservation, we will be quick to retaliate, believing and absorbing the “poison” from others into ourselves and allowing it to damage our confidence in God. 

Once again, Jesus has given us the solution. Turn opposition into opportunity! Rejoice and be glad! The weapon of thanksgiving will immediately neutralise any temptation to retaliate. 

Thanksgiving is the language of faith. It turns our attention away from self to the Lord and defuses anger and resentment. God’s Word renews our minds with truth. Whatever God says about me is more real and powerful than any abusive language or behaviour thrown at me which is a lie and does not exist. 

This is “spiritual warfare” in essence, nullifying lies with truth, and taking the heat out of conflict by dousing the flames of emotion with the cool head of reality. What God has said carries far more weight than anything any person says and, best of all, God’s peace continues to reign in the heart. 

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…IN JESUS’ NAME – 8

Bible Study, ,

As part of their witness to Him, Jesus authorised His disciples  to pray in His name. 

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is huge! In a sense, Jesus gave His disciples a “blank cheque”, which He signed, with only one condition…in His name! If this was not an opportunity to satisfy any desire of their hearts regardless of whether it was good or bad simply by attaching the name of Jesus to the end of the prayer, what did He mean?

We can make any fragment of Scripture mean anything we like if we take it out of context, especially a promise like this one because it is so open-ended. 

We can use “in Jesus’ name” like a mantra…we think it will happen if we repeat it enough times. We can use “in Jesus’ name” like a radio call…”over and out”, or like a full stop at the end of a sentence, adding “amen” to complete the call. 

What did Jesus mean  when He authorised His disciples to pray “in His name”? The context of this promise will put it into its correct perspective. 

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Jesus’ mandate to His disciples was…”You will be my witnesses.” We have already discovered that being Jesus’ witnesses meant preaching the message, living the life, doing the works, and praying the prayers that would usher in God’s kingdom. 

This promise of Jesus, then, relates specifically to His works that were signs that God’s kingdom had come to the whole earth, not just to the Jews. 

Jesus assured His opponents who accused Him of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub, the prince of demons…

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In my name” was Jesus’ authorisation that His disciples were to do the miracles He did and more as signs that God’s kingdom had come, was among them, and in them…This power to do miracles was not a badge of office, a sign of privilege or special anointing, or even a way to intervene in people’s lives to fix what was wrong. 

This promise was also not for a special or favoured few. It was a mandate for all His disciples to go “in His name”. They were to preach “in His name”, to forgive sin “in His name”, to heal the sick and drive out demons “in His name”…all as a witness that Jesus is Lord and that His kingdom, His reign of justice, righteousness, and peace, had come to earth.  

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands;  and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

‭‭Mark‬ 16‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus does not authorise healing campaigns for the sake of healing…”Come and get your miracle!” He authorises healing to authenticate the presence of God’s kingdom on earth.  

Any other use of “in Jesus’ name” is illegitimate. Jesus has no obligation to honour this promise outside of His mandate to be His witnesses. Conversely, He will always confirm His promise by acting on behalf of those who acknowledge His authority, believe His Word, submit to His authority, and speak and do the works that reveal the presence of God’s kingdom on earth. 

To pray “in Jesus’ name” is a solemn commitment to represent and be representatives of Jesus on earth by what we say, what we do, and how we behave. We are citizens of God’s kingdom on assignment as His ambassadors, to bring heaven to earth because we carry heaven’s presence in us wherever we go. 

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…SPIRITUAL WARFARE – 7e

Bible Study, ,

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭149‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To conclude our exploration of authority in Scripture, these verses from Psalm 149 are amazing! They give us the key to exercising our delegated authority over the nations as Jesus gave His authority to us, His followers, to do. 

Jesus has entrusted to His disciples two weapons with which to overcome “the world”, one in our mouths and the other in our hands. 

John wrote…

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is our faith that overcomes the world. What does this mean? According to our studies, faith is absolute confidence in the authority of Jesus to do what He says He will do because He is who He says He is. 

How do we express our faith in Jesus?  We express our faith by what comes out of our mouths. 

“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What must come out of our mouths to express our faith?

“In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Do you get the picture?

Thanksgiving is the language of faith!

Let’s see how Jesus used this weapon? Two examples…

“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭40-41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Thanksgiving is a powerful weapon in our mouths to defeat the devil in our thoughts and in our circumstances. 

The other weapon is the sword, the Word  of God. 

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s truth contained in His written word is the weapon that neutralises the lies of the devil. We have His written word in our hands and His truth in our hearts that we speak from our mouths to silence the devil. 

How did Jesus use this weapon?

“The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Three times, Jesus silenced and overcame the devil’s temptations with the written word spoken into the situation. He exercised His authority by placing Himself under God’s Word and submitting to it.  

When I understand the chain of command in God’s kingdom, I become aware that, when I speak what Jesus has spoken…and He has spoken what the Father has spoken…my words carry the authority of the Father Himself. 

Some practices in the name of Jesus and in so-called “spiritual warfare” are foolish, nonsensical and completely unbiblical. 

When we understand these principles, we will be saved from exercising illegitimate authority by saying and doing what Jesus has not authorised.

Jesus has made the exercise of our authority in His name simple…thanksgiving and His Word from our mouths…nothing more, nothing less! 

Thanksgiving is God’s will for us in all circumstances. Never stop giving thanks. It’s the trigger for God’s power to work in every situation for our good and His glory.  

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…AUTHORITY – 7d

Bible Study, ,

To sum up this long discussion on authority, what have we learned so that we fully understand where and how Jesus’ delegated authority works for us?

  1. God the Father has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Jesus, the Son. 

Through His submission and obedience to the Father during His earthly life, Jesus regained His sovereignty over the universe, over the earth, and over the nations. 

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. During His earthly life, Jesus called and trained twelve men to continue His work after He returned to heaven. 

“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ work was to usher in God’s kingdom by revealing the Father, redeeming mankind, and restoring   all creation to God’s original purpose. 

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus exposed and destroyed the devil and his deception. 

“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth, teach them about Jesus, enable them to overcome sin, and to be His witnesses through their preaching and their lives. 

The presence of the Spirit in them would empower them to represent Jesus to the world. 

  1. To His disciples, Jesus gave authority over all the spiritual powers that opposed Him. 

The miracles He authorised them to do would be signs that God’s kingdom was among them, in part, to reveal the nature and power of His rule of mercy and grace. 

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Jesus’ delegated authority is conditional. 

There are two kinds of authority that operate on earth …either delegated authority or illegitimate authority. 

The effectiveness of delegated authority depends on the absolute submission and obedience of the one to whom authority has been given. Jesus proved His authority to act in the Father’s name because He was a perfect Son. His own witness was…

“So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For the believer, this is crucial. For the authority to speak and act in Jesus’ name, a disciple of Jesus must be submitted to Him and obedient to His Word. To claim Jesus as Lord implies living under His authority as supreme. 

Jesus will not support illegitimate authority…that us, anything that is said or done “in His name” but not supported by submission to His will in all things. 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be concluded…